This lesson is focused entirely on difficult vocabulary; where I will teach you about some words that need to be explained before we can move on to more complex grammar. Specifically, you will learn how to to use: 자기/자신, 훨씬, 관하다/관련하다, 주위, 일단, 전혀/별로, words dealing with weight, and words ending in ~거리다. Let’s get started.

Below is the list of words I want to introduce.

Click on the English word to see “hidden” information and many examples of that word in use. This lesson is focused on introducing each specific word anyways, so a lot of this “hidden” information is already presented in the lesson itself. However, the sentences hidden behind each word also include example sentences from later lessons. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be learning shortly.

A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be found here.

Notes: For information on how to use this word, see the section titled “자기 and 자신” in this lesson.
자기 is also commonly used by married couples to refer to their significant other. For example, when calling for my wife, I can say “자기야!”

Notes: For information on how to use this word, see the section titled “자기 and 자신” in this lesson.
“자신” (or 자신감) can also translate to “confidence,” but it is technically a different word with different Hanja characters.

Notes: For information on how to use this word, see the section titled “Still – 아직” in this lesson.

Examples:
슬기는 아직 서울에 도착하지 못했어요 = Seulgi hasn’t arrived in Seoul yet
교장선생님이 아직 대답하시지 않았어요 = The principal hasn’t responded yet
마취를 했지만 입에 아직 감각이 있어요 = I received freezing/anesthetic, but there is still feeling in my mouth
물을 마셔야 되지만 물이 아직도 다 얼어 있어요 = I need to drink water, but it is still all frozen
저는 밥을 아직 못 먹었어요 = I still haven’t been able to eat (rice) yet저는 아직 기다리고 있어요 = I am still waiting학생들은 그 선생님을 아직 좋아해요? = Do students still like that teacher?불이 아직 켜져 있어요 = The light is still on그 상가가 그 길에 아직 있어요 = That building is still on that street저는 주름이 아직 많아요 = I still have a lot of wrinkles저는 한국에 아직 간 적이 없어요 = I still haven’t been to Korea보증 기간이 아직 안 지났어요 = The warranty period still hasn’t passed수표를 아직 안 받았어요 = I still haven’t received the cheque우리는 그 문제를 아직 해결하지 못했어요 = We still haven’t resolved that problem새로운 휴대폰을 아직 안 샀어요 = I still haven’t bought a new phone우리는 4번출구를 아직 찾지 못했어요 = We still haven’t found exit 4

Notes: For information on how to use this word, see the section titled “Still – 아직” in this lesson.

Examples:
저는 여전히 그를 사랑해요 = I still love her
여전히 그 가게는 인기가 많아요 = That store is still very popular저는 운동을 여전히 하지 않았어요 = I still haven’t exercised
그 사람이 나이가 많지만 여전히 똑똑해요 = Although that person is old, he is still very smart
한국에 안 갈 것이지만 여전히 한국어를 배우고 싶어요 = Even though I will not go to Korea, I still want to learn Korean

고등학교 때는 같이 있는 것이 재미있었고 학교 가는 게 즐거웠었는데! 여전히 친구를 만나니 즐겁고 행복하다. 같은 추억을 가지고 있는 친구와 여전히 친구라는 사실이 이렇게 좋은 줄은 몰랐다.
= It was very fun being together during high school time, and I enjoyed going to school (High school was very fun). I am happy and enjoying myself because I am still meeting my friends. I didn’t know it was so good/nice to still have friends with whom I have the same (childhood) memories with (I am glad that I can still meet old friends with whom I share childhood memories with).

태성이 그녀에게 전혀 관심이 없어요 = Taesung is not interested in her at all나는 밖에 전혀 나가고 싶지 않아 = I don’t want to go outside at all그는 전혀 잘생기지 않았다 = He’s not handsome at all
몇 달 전에 30살이 되어서 우울했는데 이제는 전혀 우울하지 않아요 = A few months ago, I was depressed that I was going to be 30 years old, but now (compared to then), I’m not depressed at all

훨씬 can be used in sentences just like 더 (which you learned about in Lesson 19), but the meaning is stronger than 더. For example:

나는 나의 남동생보다 훨씬 똑똑해 = I am way/much smarter than my brother한국어는 영어보다 훨씬 어렵다 = Korean is much more difficult than English
저는 사과보다 딸기가 훨씬 좋아요 = I like strawberries much more than apples
저의 남편이 다른 남자들보다 훨씬 잘생겼어요 = My husband is much more handsome than other men
그는 작년보다 한국어를 훨씬 잘해요 = He is much better at Korean than last year
한국어는 영어보다 훨씬 어려워요 = Korean is much more difficult than English

You can use 주위to indicate that an action happens “around” something. For example:나는 학교 주위를 걷는 것을 좋아해 = I like walking around the school달은 지구 주위를 돌아요 = The moon spins around the earth학생들이 넘어진 친구 주위에 서 있었어요 = The students stood around their friend who had fallen
아이들은 나무 주위에서 놀고 있어요 = The children are playing around the tree
2호선은 서울 도심 주위를 돌아요 = Line 2 circles around the downtown of Seoul

It can also be used to refer to the general surroundings of a place. For example:그가 주위를 두리번거렸어요 = He looked around at his surroundings주위가 안전하지 않아요 = This area/surrounding area isn’t safe
새로운 곳에 도착해서 숙소를 찾기 위해 주위를 두리번거렸어요 = We arrived in a new place and then looked around the area to find a place to stay

It can also be used to refer to the people who one often comes in contact with. This is often translated to the people “around” a person – but not in a physical sense. Rather, it refers to ones friends, family, coworkers, etc. For example:

Notes: 일단 is placed in sentences for feel to indicate that one action with happen before another. It can usually translate to “once,” but it is not really a word that can be translated easily. For example:

Notes: 살 is used to refer to the flesh/meat of an animal. For example, I often say this sentence to Korean people when they ask me why I don’t eat fish:

캐나다에서는 생선을 먹을 때 살밖에 없는데 한국에서는 생선을 먹을 때 접시에 진짜 물고기가 있어요
= In Canada, when we eat fish, there is nothing but flesh (the meaty part of the fish). However, in Korean, when you eat fish, there is an actual fish on the plate.

As it refers to the meaty/fleshy part of animals, it also refers to the mass that humans can gain or lose. As such, it is used when somebody wants to indicate that one “gains” or “loses” weight. For example

Notes: 빠지다 has many meanings, and has already been introduced in the Vocabulary List of Lesson 20. It is impossible to come up with a translation that fits all possible usages, but most usages are typically used when something falls, sinks drops or is deflated. In this case, when used with “살” it is used to indicate that one loses weight.

Common Usages:
살이 빠지다 = to lose weight

Examples:
운동을 열심히 했더니 살이 빠졌어요 = I exercised hard, and then lost weight
살이 많이 빠져서 지금은 정장을 편히 입을 수 있어요 = I can wear a suit comfortably now because I lost a lot of weight

Note that you can’t just add ~거리다 to every word to give it the meaning of ‘being repeated.’ Only certain words can use this ending, so I don’t recommend adding ~거리다 to random words if you haven’t learned that it can specifically be used like that.

In addition, some words only end in ~거리다 – that is – other than their ~거리다 form, there is no other way that they can be used. For example:

The idea of ~거리다 adding the feeling of a “repeated action” doesn’t always work in my brain. I feel that it doesn’t do the translation or feeling of ~거리다 justice sometimes. I’ve noticed that ~거리다 is often added to words that indicates one’s perception or feeling and where expressing this exact feeling is difficult. For example, if you touched something gooey and it was all gross and “sticky,” you could use the word “끈적거리다” to express this feeling. The stickiness is not really repeating – it’s more of a weird feeling that I can’t describe. Sometimes you will come across words ending in ~거리다 where the translation is more about a strange feeling or perception than an action that repeats itself. In times like these, I like adding the English word “all” to the sentence to express this strange feeling. For example:

“I touched that goo and it was all sticky.”

Below are some example sentences with words using ~거리다. Note that there are other words that end in ~거리다 that are not included in the vocabulary list above. Most words using ~거리다 are quite difficult, and the purpose of this lesson is not to introduce you to every word where you can see ~거리다. Rather, the purpose of this lesson is to introduce you to the general meaning/feeling of ~거리다 to allow you to understand its usage when you see it used on words during your studies.

It is also important to note that all words ending in ~거리다 are verbs and therefore must be conjugated as such. Many of these words inherently feel like adjectives, so it is strange at first to consider them verbs. For example, “끈적거리다” is a verb, but it typically translates to the adjective “to be sticky” in English.

It is common to see words with ~거리다 used in literature where the author wants to describe a certain feeling through language. For example, the sentence immediately above could be translated to “the water rocked back and forth.” However, it could also be translated to “the water sloshed back and forth in the ocean.” The word “slosh” gives me a more descriptive feeling and image of the water. In Korean, these ~거리다 words often give sentences a more descriptive feeling and image.

.

자기 and 자신

When referring to somebody in the third person, you can use words like “he,” “she,” or “that person.” For example:

Here, you can use 자기 to replace the person you are talking about the second time you mention that person. Below are many more examples. I have bolded the word “자기” and its translation to make it clear what “자기” translates to.

In the example sentences above using “자기,” some person is being referred to twice in the same sentence. Although this person is mentioned twice, the person is not the subject and the object of the sentence. For example:

When one person is both the subject and the object of a sentence, the word “자신” is used as the object. The translation of 자신 to English depends on who the person is, but the basic form you will see is “oneself.” Depending on the person, the translation would be:

If somebody asks you if you have done something, you can respond with “아직…. 안 했어요.” For example:

Person 1: 일을 다 했어요? = Have you done all the work yet?
Person 2: 아직 안 했어요 = I haven’t done it yet/I still haven’t done it

In these cases, it is common to simplify the sentence and just use “아직” as the answer (~요 can be added in formal situations). For example:

Person 1: 일을 다 했어요? = Have you done all the work yet?
Person 2: 아직요… = Not yet

——————-

Above, notice how only “아직” is being used (which translates to “yet”) and how the English translation includes both “yet” and “not.” This difference often causes Korean people to make mistakes when saying this type of sentence in English. For example, a conversation with a Korean person (in English) might go like this:

English speaker: Did you do the work yet?
Korean speaker: Yet

——————-

Particles ~도 and ~은 can be attached to 아직 to create a more complex meaning of the word “still.” The word 여전히 also translates to “still.” The following can be very confusing:

아직도 = still
아직은 = still
여전히 = still

I’ll explain the subtle nuisances between each one:

아직도 is used when you are emphasizing that something is still the case – but it shouldn’t be. For example:

저는 운동을 아직도 하지 않았어요 = I still haven’t exercised
(putting emphasis on “still” meaning that you still haven’t exercised – but should have by now)

머리가 아직도 아파요 = My head still hurts
(Putting emphasis on “still” meaning that your head still hurts, but shouldn’t anymore).

아직은 is used when you are saying that something hasn’t happened yet, but it will happen soon (or vice-versa). Here, the comparison function of ~은 is used to compare the present (where something has or hasn’t happened) with the future (where the opposite will happen). For example:

저는 운동을 아직은 하지 않았어요 = I still haven’t exercised
(Indicating that I haven’t exercised, but I will exercise shortly)

저는 아직은 공부를 하고 있어요 = I am still studying
(Indicating that I am studying, but I will finish [and therefore won’t be studying] shortly)

여전히 is used when the action that is still being done/still hasn’t been done will continue into the foreseeable future. For example:

저는 운동을 여전히 하지 않았어요 = I still haven’t exercised
(Indicating that you haven’t exercised, and you have no plans to exercise soon).

저는 그 여자를 여전히 좋아해요 = I still like that girl
(Indicating that you still like that girl, and will continue to like her).

Honestly, this is more confusing than it needs to be. In most situations, simply using “아직” is sufficient. However, if you ever wanted to be more specific, you could use 아직도, 아직은 or 여전히. It helps if you understand the meanings of ~도 and ~은 on their own to extrapolate how they can be applied to 아직.

Words that need negative endings

In Lesson 25, you learned about using 아무도, 아무 것도, 아무 데도 and 아무 때도. In that lesson, you learned that sentences containing those words should have a negative conjugation. For example, instead of saying:

You should know by now that 이다 usually does not attach to adverbs. 별로 is an exception, as it is very common for Korean people to use this construction to describe their indifference towards something. The most common way you would hear this is in response to a question. For example:

Another way to express a similar meaning to 전혀 is to attach ~도 to 하나. Like 별로 and 전혀, this is commonly used in negative sentences. Technically, this would translate to something like “not even one,” for example:

환경에 관련해 = About/regarding the environment
환경에 관련한 것 = A thing about/regarding the environment
(관련한 is also often used as 관련돼 and 관련된)

~에 관련해 is usually written/spoken as 관련하여 (or 관련되어). Remember that 해 is actually the shortened form of 하여, and is much more common. In some formal situations, instructions, and signs you might find 하여 used more often than “해,” but other than that, “하여” is less commonly used. However, 관련하여 is quite common.

주위 is also a fairly simple word, but a little bit of explanation will probably help you understand it better. In Lesson 2, you learned various words of position, like ‘inside,’ ‘outside,’ ‘beside,’ etc… For example:

학교 앞에 = in-front of the school
학교 뒤에 = behind the school
학교 안에 = inside the school

Finally, you will also see 주위 used to refer to the people who one often comes in contact with. This is often translated to the people “around” a person – but not in a physical sense. Rather, it refers to ones friends, family, coworkers, etc. For example:

Throughout your studies, you will learn a variety of adverbs that can be placed in sentences that have no real meaning. The purpose they serve is more to add feeling to a sentence rather than to change the meaning in any drastic way. This is hard to describe in English because (to my knowledge) we don’t have anything similar. The most common of these words is “만약” which you have yet to learn about at this point (you will learn about it in Lesson 43).

The purpose of these words (or the feeling that they give off) is to allow the listener/reader to expect the type of sentence that is about to be said. For example, when somebody says “일단”, one can expect that the speaker will be mentioning that one action will happen before another.

You will usually see the translation of “once” for 일단, although it is hard to correctly decide on a translation for a word whose meaning is more about feeling.

In Lesson 24 you learned about how to use ~ㄴ/은 후에 to say sentences like this:
제가 밥을 먹은 후에 밖에 나갈 거예요 = After I eat, I will go outside

In this sentence, one action (eating) happens before another (going outside). You can use “일단” in sentences like this. For example:

이상 is similar to 후에, but when 이상 is used the speaker is specifically indicating that the clause prior to 이상 has already completed, and will now complete the clause after 이상. The translation of “now that one has…” is usually appropriate. For example:

In addition to this, you will often see 일단 placed at the beginning of a sentence that has the particle “~부터” attached to the object in the clause that happens first, followed by a verb with ~고 attached. For example:

일단 밥부터 먹고…

You learned about the particle “~부터” in Lesson 12. Although the translation ~부터 is slightly different, the usage shown above is essentially the same as the usage introduced in that earlier lesson.

When added to a noun like this (as in the example above) preceded by “일단” one is indicating that one action should happen before another action. The construction above (which is not a complete sentence yet) means that the speaker wants to eat first, and then, after finishing eating, another action can take place. For example:

Notice that it doesn’t matter what you translate the sentence to. In the end, the result is the same in each translation, and the purpose of 일단 is merely there to give feeling to the sentence. More examples:

There are a lot of words that relate to weight/body weight that aren’t very easy to understand. I want to take some time to explain these words to you.

The word for “weight” is “무게”

You already know that the word for body is “몸.” If you are talking about one’s body weight, you can say “몸무게.”

Korea, like most of the world, uses the metric system. People probably wouldn’t understand if you expressed your weight using pounds.

The first way to indicate how much you weigh is like this:나는 (몸무게가) 70 kg야 = I weigh 70 kilograms“kg” is pronounced as “킬로” or “킬로그램” in Korean. You are more likely to see “kg” written instead of “킬로” or “킬로그램.”

It is also possible to use “나가다” as the predicating word of the sentence. For example:나는 (몸무게가) 70 kg 나가 = I weigh 70 kilograms

In both situations, “몸무게” can be omitted from the sentence as the context makes it clear that the speaker is referring to his/her weight. The sentences above could be shortened to:나는 70 kg야 = I weigh 70 kilograms나는 70 kg 나가 = I weight 70 kilograms

If you want to ask how much somebody weighs, you can turn those two sentences into questions using 몇 (which you learned about in Lesson 22). For example:

When talking about weight, it is common to talk about losing or gaining weight. When doing this, the word “살” is typically used instead of “몸무게.” 살 literally refers to one’s soft tissues (like muscle, fat or flesh) and can also be applied to meat/flesh of other animals. For example:

Weight is typically lost and gained in soft tissue, so 살 is used instead of 몸무게. Common verbs you will hear with “살” are:

살이 찌다 = to gain weight
살이 빠지다 = to lose weight (typically used when weight is lost inadvertently)
살을 빼다 = to lose weight (typically used when weight is lost on purpose)

These verbs have other uses than these situations related to weight. For example:

빠지다 is a verb used when something falls, sinks, drops or is deflated
빼다 is a verb used when somebody removes something from somewhere (as in, to remove weight from one’s body).
(찌다 doesn’t have much use outside of this situation)

찌다 and 빠지다 are passive verbs, so they cannot act on objects. In practice, all this means is that you cannot put ~을/를 in a sentence/clause that ends in 찌다/빠지다. The best way to use these words in situations of gaining and losing weight is:

This lesson was a little bit different than our usual lessons, but I felt that before going any further, you needed to know how to use these important words in Korean. In the next lesson, we will go back to our usual format of teaching you a lot of Korean grammar. In the mean time, make sure you are comfortable with what was taught in this lesson.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to make a post on our Forum!